The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton weighs in regarding the comments made by Steve Yzerman and Alex DeBrincat’s respective press conferences earlier today:
Yesterday evening, DeBrincat was having a “chill day” at that home with his wife Lyndsey and one-year-old son Archie when the family learned that their off-season house could remain their in-season house for at least the next four years. “I don’t think anyone’s happier than my parents,” said DeBrincat of the busy day; the trips to watch their son play and grandson grow up will be short and frequent.
For Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, the deal met a major off-season demand by bringing in a rare asset in the NHL, a player who “anytime they shoot it, it looks like they have a chance to go in.” A “medium-term” extension, as Yzerman called DeBrincat’s new four year, $31.5 million ticket, works for both parties.
The Red Wings won’t be locked into seven or eight seasons of a player who has yet to prove his fit in Detroit, while DeBrincat will get the chance to return to free agency in his (late) 20s, when the cap should have swollen and he will still have valuable years left to offer.
That DeBrincat hails from Farmington Hills provided some extra value for the Red Wings as well. “To have some local ties is great for these players and for our market as well,” said Yzerman. He added that free agents with more connection to their new home than just dollars and cents tend to be “more invested” in the project they’re joining.
